Extradition hearing held for woman who was initially cited for traffic violations

An extradition hearing was held Friday for an El Dorado woman who was wanted in Texas for parole revocation and who was initially cited for traffic violations stemming from a vehicle accident.

Leslie A. Vaughn, 32, of the 500 block of E&B, appeared Friday in 35th Judicial District Court, a day after she was cited for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, careless and prohibited driving and driving on a suspended license.

Vaughn was taken into custody early Thursday morning after she was identified as a suspect in a vehicle accident in which a utility pole was damaged. While investigating the incident, El Dorado police learned there were two active warrants for Vaughn’s arrest, according to a police report.

She was wanted in Bowie County, Texas, on a felony charge of probation revocation and on an El Dorado Police Department warrant for enforcement of fines.

At 3:54 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle in the area of Martin Luther King and Quaker Lane (Private). Officers said the bottom of a utility pole in the area had been severed and the pole was being held upright by overhead power lines.

Police said it appeared the vehicle — a maroon, 2005 Chevrolet Equinox — had been traveling north on MLK when it veered left off the road, struck the utility pole, rolled over and landed back into an upright position.

The vehicle was extensively damaged and was inoperable, police said.

During an inventory search of the vehicle, police found pieces of mail that belonged to Vaughn.

After ordering the vehicle towed and turning the scene over to Entergy workers, officers went to the E&B residence, noting that someone quickly shut the front door and locked it when they arrived.

Two witnesses who were outside the residence told police that Vaughn was inside and police said someone opened the door after they knocked several times.

Officers said they entered the residence, called out to Vaughn, who did not respond, and found her hiding in a back closet.

Vaughn told police she was driving north on MLK when she looked away from the road and reached for a cigarette. She said that “by the time she looked back up, it was too late” and she struck the utility pole, adding that the vehicle rolled over.

She told police she then left the scene because she was aware of active warrants for her arrest.

Vaughn requested medical attention and she was transported by ambulance to Medical Center of South Arkansas, where she was treated and released.

She was then transported to the Union County Jail, where she remained late Friday afternoon while awaiting extradition to Texas.

Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.

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